This invention relates to the incorporation of inflatable cushions, or capsules into clothing to provide comfort for the user.
The prior art reveals several types of devices employing the shock absorbing properties of inflatables for preventing injury during high speed and high impact sports. Some of these rely upon the use of CO2 cartridges that can only be used once and then need to be replaced. These types of protective clothing tend to be bulky, complicated, unattractive, physically inhibiting and expensive to produce. The prior art designs are mainly specific to a particular sport and are not intended for use by the general public. Also shown is a cooling mechanism with tubing encircling the body and connecting a plurality of small inflatable pads that lift the shirt away from the skin to facilitate air venting through flaps. The small inflatable pads do not perform the function of a seat or back cushion and the device is intended to be used for cooling the user, whereas the present invention provides insulation, cushioning, support, shock absorption and waterproofing, or at least water-inhibiting. Therapeutic inflatable appliances attached to undergarments and hospital gowns are shown, utilizing the cushioning properties in the prevention of fractures, bruising and to alleviate pain from haemorrhoids. These inventions are mainly designed for the elderly and infirm, or address specific medical challenges. The clothing is clearly not designed to be worn to enjoy recreational activities or for use in inclement weather or conditions generally, as in one aspect of present invention.
In particular, applicant is aware of the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,324; U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,425; U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,320; U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,202; U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,706; U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,123; U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,063; U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,063; U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,927 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,085.
Inflatable air capsules may be designed into various types of clothing to cushion a part of the body. The inflatable capsules may be comprised of any durable, impermeable fabric such as vinyl, PVC, plastic or rubberised canvas, sealed at the seams by means of high frequency welding, heat bonding, stitching and adhesives, or any method that will render them airtight.
The capsules are fitted with a valve or device capable of providing air to the capsule and releasing it when desired. This may be accomplished by the use of push-in valves, utilising the user""s own breath, Boston valves, one way valves, CO2 cartridge mechanism, self-inflating valves, or by any other type of inflation valve or device suitable for the clothing and circumstance.
To facilitate convenient inflation by mouth, flexible tubing may be incorporated into a garment, running from an inflatable capsule to the vicinity of the user""s mouth. A valve plug may be attached to the end of the tubing. To deflate or reduce air pressure, the user pulls the plug out of the tubing. The end of the tubing may be stored, for example, coiled in a pocket, when not in use.
Flexible tubing may also be used as an extension device to inflate air capsules remotely. The correct diameter of tubing is inserted snugly into the corresponding push-in valve to facilitate convenient inflation of the capsule.
The capsules may be designed to be sewn into the garments or attached by means of adhesives, Velcro, zippers, snaps or any other suitable fastener.
The air capsules may be designed to be worn on either the inside or the outside of a garment, or both.
Inflatable air capsules may be incorporated into equine clothing.
Inflatable air capsules can be made with very durable fabrics when required.
In summary, the inflatable clothing of the present invention includes a garment having a manually inflatable air capsule. The air capsule may be pivotally mounted to the back panel of the garment so that the air capsule may be pivoted between a raised position, wherein the capsule may be releasably secured by a fastener so as to remain in the raised position, and a lowered position disposed adjacent the buttocks of a user wearing the garment.
The air capsule may be shaped so as to cover at least the user""s buttocks, for example the buttocks and thighs, in the lowered position and may be pivotally mounted to the back panel along an upper edge of the capsule. When so mounted the upper edge of the capsule may be adjacent the small of the user""s back when the garment is worn by the user.
In one embodiment garment is worn by the user about at least the torso and midriff of the user. For example, the garment may be a jacket or a vest.
In one embodiment the capsule is mounted to the back panel by a stitched seam extending at least partially laterally across the back panel and the upper edge of the capsule. The capsule may be a generally rectangular flexible bladder although this is not intended to be limiting as it is understood that other shapes of bladder may be tailored to cover the desired body part.
The fastener may be a hook and loop fastener mounted to the back of the garment, for example, on an interior surface therein.
The flexible bladder may include a valve having an inlet aperture so that a flexible tube is mountable to the valve so as to cooperate therewith for inflation of the bladder. The tube may be of sufficient length so as to extend from the valve to both the mouth of the user and a pocket of the garment for storage of the tube therein. The tube may include a plug for removably plugging a distal end of the tube, that is the end distal from an opposite end mountable to the valve. The plug is for remotely sealing the valve upon inflation of the bladder and for remotely deflating the bladder upon removal of the plug from the distal end of the tube.